Welcome to Walkopedia, our interactive directory of the world’s best walks and hikes.

May 15: fundraising for Nepal earthquakes:

Walkopedia friend Anna
Rex is walking 100km across the UK’s South Downs for the Gurkha
Welfare Trust and Oxfam for Nepal earthquake relief. PLEASE HELP: To read more or donate, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/2015Trailwalker/

Brilliant site! Wow! Its all here. Finally something to really get your teeth into. The photos the ratings the descriptions the information are absolutely fantastic and spot on..... Thank you Walkopedia your finger is on the pulse, your feet on the right trail. Walkers of the world unite indeed! Bill Peel (7.2013)

To have as close to a complete collection of the world’s great walks and hikes as can be achieved, by 2020. This requires daunting levels of research - and walking - and help from walk lovers like you. So, please give us your suggestions and comments.

To give you good information and links, to help you plan an expedition.

Help Walkopedia

If you enjoy and value our site, please help us (at no cost to you) by buying your books, maps and other needs through our Amazon link.

And by telling friends about our site.

THE WORLD'S 100 BEST WALKS: as walked and selected by William Mackesy

William Mackesy is on a long quest to identify the world’s 100 best walks. He is tackling and assessing all the walks himself, and has so far done more than 40% of the likely Top 100 (listed on our about page). His descriptions of these walks will be appearing on this website.

Alta Via 1 Dolomites

His planned book on these walks is provisionally titled "Fat Man Walking: a Good Wheeze". But, as he is 50 and his knees are in decline, he suspects the project will involve lowered sights at some point.

Identifying the best walks requires a system as well as stamina:but what are the essential ingredients of a great walk? Outstanding beauty is not sufficient on its own (there are thousands of beautiful walks). It is some special charisma, often combined with a natural wonder or historical or artistic association, which propels a walk into the highest ranks. Adjustments are needed for miseries such as crowding and altitude. See our walks assessment system, which we have developed to balance between these varied factors.

Accommodation

Equipment & Clothing

Books and Maps

Holidays and Activities

If you enjoy and value our site, please help us at no
cost to yourself by using these links.

Responsible Travel...

... matters, a lot. How you travel will make a real difference – for better or worse. PLEASE consider this when making plans. Read more

CONTRIBUTE

You can join our community and help to develop the final, definitive, Top 100 list and a full collection of the world’s best walks and hikes. Your suggestionsfor candidates, and comments on walks on this website, will be very welcome. You can:

recommend a walk, or submit your own description of a favourite walk;

suggest additions or changes to an existing walk description and our walks assessments, including your tips, tales and photos; and

give us other feedback or comments.

Go to our community page to see more on the Walkopedia project, including the ideas of other walk lovers.

We are developing useful information (on travel, equipment, books, maps and so on) to help you plan your own expedition.
Let us know about further useful websites and we’ll add them.
(Walk-specific information can be found on the individual walk pages.)

LATEST WALK

Kumano Kodo, Kii Peninsula ,Japan

A network of old pilgrimage routes to the Kumano Sanzan or Three Grand Shrines of
Kumano, the spiritual heart of Japan.

As well as the ancient Kii-ji route down
along the west coast and then inland on the Nakahechi Route or on
round the coast, there were other ways which crossed the rugged and remote
mountains of the interior, including the Omine-michi Route between lovely Yoshino and Kumano, via
the central mountainous Omine-san area, the Kohechi Route from Koyasan.

Fine forested landscape littered with
evidence of an ancient, rich and indeed unique spiritual history. Stay in
remote villages, steam in hot baths, and eat like a god.

SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU

We have been told that it is not currently possible to walk the full Cinque Terre route due to landslides, but this is not mentioned much on the internet. Does anyone have any more information?

Charity walks: we are planning to have a focus on good charity walks (it will take a while to change the site)... in the meantime let us know of great upcoming walks around the world - the longer the notice, the better!

What is your favourite walk, and why? How would it rate using our system?